Researchers and pharma companies have tried to attack this disease by reducing amyloid plaques, but inflammation may be the real culprit.
Researchers and pharma companies have tried to attack this disease by reducing amyloid plaques, but inflammation may be the real culprit.
A new technique for turning mouse fetuses transparent offers a literal window into the brain.
Looking for a more realistic way to study memory, we turned to place cells—a network of cells that record a rat’s memory of an environment. Each place cell would fire only when the rat was in one particular location in space, creating a map as the
Early on, researchers had learned that the hippocampus was the structure in the brain where long-term memories were created and stored, but it was not known whether the different cell types within this structure might be more or less susceptible to t
The initiating cause of Alzheimer’s disease is still unknown. However, from our studies it’s clear that many types of neuronal damage—from traumatic brain injury, to epilepsy, infection, or genetic predisposition—can activate brain immune cells—
Rat neurons only weakly respond as the animals climbed upwards, suggesting the brain's map of the environment doesn't account for altitude.
July 1, 2011
Meet some of the people featured in the July 2011 issue of The Scientist.
Studying the earliest events in visual development, Carla Shatz has learned the importance of looking at one’s data with open eyes—and an open mind.
Even while remaining motionless, macaques are able to increase the activity of a particular brain region, improving their concentration and search abilities
Amygdala responses to the facial signals of others predict both normal and abnormal emotional states. An understanding of the brain chemistry underlying these responses will lead to new strategies for treating and predicting psychopathology.